"You have no idea!"
"Honestly, the life I've been living lately… even saying it's a life of hardship doesn't do it justice!"
"Every day I open my eyes, I have to start making floating stones. And I work on them all day long! Even when I sleep, I'm dreaming about floating stones!"
"Sure, I'm skilled at it, and I do enjoy making floating stones."
"But I've been doing this nonstop for almost half a month!"
"Even if you ate the same food for two weeks straight, you'd get tired of it!"
"And the Archon! Letting the stars of Tianquan pressure me like this—was reviving me really just so I could make floating stones?"
"If I had known, I might as well have stayed dead!"
"Traveler, you, the Archon, and Mr. Ryen are all good friends."
"I'm asking you, please—talk to the Archon, talk to Mr. Ryen!"
"Tell Mr. Ryen to manage his girlfriend properly!"
"If this keeps up, I'm really going to work myself to death here in Liyue!"
"Why is it that people like Skybracer get revived and can just go sightseeing in that world every day, while I've been stuck here in Liyue Harbor making floating stones?"
"Seriously, how many floating stones count as 'enough'? I've made… if not a thousand, then at least eight hundred. Isn't that enough?!"
Turning an adeptus into such a complaint box… that, in itself, is Ningguang's talent.
But there was no avoiding it—the Three Nations all needed an enormous amount of floating stones.
Even just making the Skyborne Dragon-Slaying Cannons required huge quantities.
And Liyue and Snezhnaya also planned floating bases like the Qunyu Pavilion.
All of that work fell on Sea Gazer.
Sleep late like an ox, wake up early like a rooster.
Open your eyes and it's work; close your eyes and you're still working.
It's impressive Sea Gazer hasn't gone insane.
Every day, he sees Skybracer and the others—also just revived—either visiting their old homes in Jueyun or exploring that other world, enjoying themselves.
Why is it that his life is just endless work?
Lumine felt a little awkward and nodded.
"I'll ask for you."
Sea Gazer breathed a sigh of relief, then seriously instructed:
"You must ask for me, Traveler!"
"The Archon always tells me: only by enduring loneliness can one enjoy the flowers in bloom."
"Tianquan Star and Yuheng Star kept tricking me, saying things like, 'When Heaven is about to confer a great task on someone, it first tests their mind and strains their muscles.'"
"But I think… I've already been through enough."
"The Archon War lasted so long, and now I've been working nonstop since my revival. Can't I just enjoy a little?"
"And recently, Lumineda keeps bragging to me about how she's in Mr. Ryen's world, fishing, gardening, and refining her character every day."
"I admit, during the Archon War, the Yasha worked hard."
"But now, I'm the one who's the busiest in Liyue!"
"Don't I deserve a little peace in life?"
"Traveler, please, help me out and say something. If this keeps up, I really won't be able to handle it!"
Sea Gazer had literally been turned into a scolding housewife.
Lumine chuckled inwardly, nodded, and watched Sea Gazer leave with a grimace.
Today, his work was far from over.
If he didn't head back soon, tonight he'd end up being lectured by Zhongli again and would have to work overtime on his own.
What kind of life is this for an adeptus?!
As Sea Gazer left, Yae Miko couldn't help but chuckle:
"Lord Sea Gazer is still the same as before. Even to those closest to him, he's just a chatterbox."
Hearing this, Ayaka grew curious:
"You've met Lord Sea Gazer before, Your Grace?"
Yae Miko nodded.
"When I was little, I came to Liyue to study adeptal arts. I met many adepti back then, and that's also when I got to know Ganyu."
"Speaking of which, I came in such a hurry this time that I didn't even bring any Sea Ganoderma for Ganyu."
Lumine smiled softly.
"That's okay—Ryen has planted a whole bunch of them for Ganyu!"
"Planted?"
Yae Miko froze, surprised:
"That stuff is a specialty of Inazuma. Even in Inazuma, it can't be cultivated—it only grows naturally. How can you plant it?"
"That's the wonder of that world," Lumine explained, shrugging.
"As long as it's a crop from Teyvat, there's nothing that can't be grown."
"It's complicated, but you'll see when you get there."
"By the way, Yae Miko, you didn't tell Ei about the revival yet, right?"
Yae Miko temporarily suppressed her curiosity, tilting her head with a smile:
"Well… I told her that you, little one, are the key to the revival."
"Huh?"
Lumine froze, staring at Yae Miko in confusion.
Yae Miko said matter-of-factly:
"What's the matter? That little one left me hanging for so long—can't I get a little revenge?"
"By telling her you hold the power of revival, and letting her see Sea Gazer come back to life, she's probably convinced now."
"Right now, she's probably worrying about you not helping, just to spite you."
"Don't you think it's kind of fun, letting her stay in that mood?"
Lumine pursed her lips, choosing not to respond.
This little fox was just playing around—best not to take it too seriously.
Lumine led Ayaka and Yae Miko toward Tianheng Mountain.
On the way, she let Yae Miko observe Liyue firsthand.
Seeing it, Yae Miko finally understood the full depth of what a world's resources could bring.
The Qianqiu troops moved through Liyue Harbor with their wolf packs.
Yae Miko had never seen these wolves before, but they looked formidable.
The spirit and morale of the Liyue people were incomparable to those of Inazuma.
There was a pride and confidence embedded in them that Yae Miko had never seen on Inazuman faces.
In Liyue Harbor, there didn't seem to be much visible influence from that other world.
Most of what could be seen were alchemical potions and enchanted weapons, and occasionally Liyue citizens discussing applying for these items through the General Affairs Department.
But the actual items themselves weren't visible to Yae Miko.
The journey was long, and along the way, Lumine explained a lot about these things to Yae Miko.
They also paused from time to time by the roadside to listen to storytellers exaggerating tales of demon attacks during the Archon War.